


A Cup of Respite

by typhiria



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, CW: burnout, Cats, FE3HAUBang, Gen, M/M, blaseball is Real, leonie is terrible at work/life balance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28964232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/typhiria/pseuds/typhiria
Summary: Leonie's having a rough time balancing school and work, but she's making it work. Mostly. Maybe. Then a feral cat has kittens in her drive-thru, Sylvain shows up and orders a ridiculous milkshake, and Felix won't stop trying to catch the kittens.Written for the@FE3HAUBang, with art bymoist!
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Leonie Pinelli, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Sylvain Jose Gautier & Leonie Pinelli
Kudos: 28
Collections: The Three Houses AU Bang





	1. A Cup of Respite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the working title for this was: "sylvain tries to show leonie how to chill (and felix is There) (in leonie’s drivethru trying to catch cats) (no really)"
> 
> [here's the art! on twitter!](https://twitter.com/avrigny/status/1354912287266656259)

“...And put m&ms in it, please!”

Leonie punches the “xtra m&m” button. Behind her, Catherine glances up at the screen. “I’m starting to wonder if that boy wants a shake or a cup of candy.”

“Got it, anything else?” Leonie asks over the headset, ignoring Catherine. It’s okay, Catherine knows how the job works. She pulls out the largest cold cup Rangeld’s carries and starts drizzling caramel syrup around the inside.

“Uh, no, that’s everything,” comes back over the headset after a pause. Leonie thinks she hears someone else in the car mutter something rude about a candy shop, but she can’t be sure and anyway the milkshake on the order deserves some level of rudeness.

She grabs the chocolate syrup next, and makes sure nobody could possibly accuse her of having used too little. “Okay, that’s $17.35, see you at the window!”

A scoop of oreo bits, a scoop of m&ms, and an utterly baffling sprinkle of cinnamon later, the Weird Milkshake Orderer pulls up to the window. He’s a tallish redheaded man in a nice, clean, but not too nice car; next to him is a shorter man glaring anywhere but at his companion. Beyond the pavement, in the bushes next to the drive-thru lane, a gray-striped kitten pokes its nose into the sun. “Hi, your order’s on the way,” Leonie says with an automatic smile. “By the way, did you want me to mix the gummi worms in, or just put them on top?”

“Mix them in, please,” the redhead says. Next to him, his friend pointedly looks the other way, as if Leonie is supposed to believe he doesn’t know the person he’s riding with. In the bushes, the other resident kitten (also striped gray but with a white chest) pounces on the first kitten and they start play-fighting.

Leonie drops exactly four gummi worms into the cup, then starts the shake machine: a layer of caramel, then vanilla, then strawberry shake, and a quick stir, and whipped cream, chocolate, and caramel syrup on top. Just for fun, Leonie carefully coils another gummi worm on top. It isn’t very easy with the tongs. Finally, she hands the shake out the window, followed by a somewhat greasy bag of food.

“Thanks! Hey, don’t I have a class with you?” The redhead winks at her as he takes his order. His friend seems transfixed by the kittens; he’s silent, one hand curling loosely around the door handle.

Leonie frowns, thinking. She might have seen this guy before, once. Maybe twice. “I don’t think so.” His voice sounds sort of familiar, but she can’t place it.

“We totally do! You’re Leonie, right?” Great, the Milkshake Weirdo can read her nametag. She should conveniently lose it like Shamir did. “English 332?”

 _Oh. Oh fuck_. She remembers now. “Oh. It’s you.” Sylvain had started off their very first discussion section by telling a dirty joke in front of Byleth, the TA, and growing increasingly red as she simply did not react to it. 

“Come on, I’m great and you know it,” Sylvain says, grinning up at her. “Right, Felix?”

Instead of answering, Felix bolts out of the car, landing flat on his face in the bushes. The kittens race out of sight. Leonie covers her mouth, trying so, so hard not to laugh. 

“Felix! Are you okay?” Sylvain calls after him. Then, quieter, “What the fuck?”

“He can have the kittens if he can catch them,” Leonie tells Sylvain. She’s mostly got it under control now. Mostly.

“Don’t tell him that, he’ll never leave,” Sylvain says. “Felix! Come on! I can’t hold all this stuff and drive!”

Felix pushes himself up out of the dirt. “I’m not touching that milkshake.” He gets back in the car; Sylvain picks a leaf out of his hair before he drives off with a wave. The kittens reappear a few minutes later.

* * *

Leonie has the next two days off work. Her classes aren’t too bad this quarter; she needed to knock out some electives to stay on track, and the next classes in her major weren’t available until fall quarter anyway. Still, she sometimes wonders what possessed her to sign up for a 9am discussion section. Judging by her classmates, she’s not alone in that.

Linhardt’s asleep at his desk when she comes in, of course; Hilda’s got a latte in her hand and is making faces at it between sips. Sylvain rushes in two minutes before nine and takes the seat next to Leonie’s. It’s unfair of him to be so energetic at 8:58 in the morning, really.

Byleth starts the class at 9am precisely, as she always does. “This week, we’re going to start reading _King Lear_ ,” she says. “It’s one of the later tragedies, we believe, and two versions of it have survived: an earlier quarto version, and the one printed in the First Folio. We will be reading a combination of both versions. Did everyone read Acts One and Two before today?” A chorus of tired nods and murmurs answers her. “Good. So let’s begin today’s discussion.”

Leonie mostly manages to keep up, noting down interesting interpretations and turns of phrase that had escaped her when reading; her concentration is blown when Sylvain slides a doodle of a dragon into her field of view. He’s not taking notes, she notices. Lazy, or cocky? Probably both. She drags her focus back to Lorenz, who is currently extolling the noble virtues of the Earl of Kent. 

Sylvain slides the doodle her way again; the dragon is now breathing fire at a stick figure with Lorenz’s hair; another stick figure is riding the dragon. Leonie isn’t sure if it’s supposed to be Byleth or Sylvain. She shoves it back at Sylvain.

Byleth, wordlessly, makes her way over to Sylvain’s desk and takes the drawing away. Lorenz keeps talking, unfortunately. He has good things to say just often enough that Leonie feels like she has to listen to him, but said good things are buried in an avalanche of fancy words. 

At the end of class, just before everyone gets up to leave, Byleth hands Sylvain his drawing back. Despite herself, Leonie peeks; the rider’s hair is now blue, but there are no other changes. 

Later that evening, Leonie clocks in at Rangeld’s. The dinner rush is already starting, and Shamir directs her to her usual post at the window with “You know where you’re going, Leonie.”

The window’s her favorite spot. There’s always something to do, and usually four or five things to do at once. Plus, from here she can watch the kittens. Maya, one of her younger coworkers, hands over the headset. “Leo, Leo! Did you see the kittens?”

Maya Kirsten, Leonie’s favorite coworker and one of her roommates, is absolutely the only person allowed to call her Leo. Leonie smiles at her. “Yeah, they were there the other day. Have you seen the mother?”

“Nope,” Maya replies. “But I took some food and water out to them earlier and I got hissed at! And there was some weird guy out there earlier trying to catch them. He wouldn’t talk to me.”

Leonie checks outside; there’s no one out there now, except for a car stopped just far enough from the speaker not to set off her headset and six more lined up behind it. Awkward. Then the car scoots up, and Leonie is too distracted by work to worry about the kittens or strange people loitering outside. Shamir runs the restaurant with quiet, confident efficiency; working under her is better than Catherine, who yells about everything, or Alois, who probably physically cannot tell a joke better than a terrible dad pun. 

About an hour into her shift, during a lull in the rush, a dark blur bolts out from around the corner and crashes into the bushes, spooking the kittens back into the woods. The man -- _is that Felix? That was his name, right? --_ bounces right back up and disappears after them. Leonie turns to Maya. “Was… that the same weird guy from earlier?”

"Yeah," Maya says as she caps a (normal) shake. "He's been here all afternoon."

 _How strange,_ Leonie thinks but doesn't say. Hopefully he catches the kittens; they deserve a better home than the woods outside a restaurant.

* * *

Leonie drags herself out the door at the ungodly hour of 8:15, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes. If she’s going to make it through class today, she needs coffee, and there’s only one coffee stand on the way to class.

Fell Star Espresso is tucked into a corner of Magdred Hall’s main entryway, basically just an espresso machine and a minifridge on a cart. For as busy as Magdred Hall usually is, Leonie’s never seen more than one or two customers there at a time, and they’re usually freshmen who don’t know any better. The last time Leonie had come here, the barista on duty had been absolutely scandalized when she’d ordered a vanilla latte. “We don’t use _syrup_ here,” he’d said. “It obscures the more subtle flavors of the espresso.” Highly condescending words from a slightly greasy guy running an espresso machine that looked like a jumped-up coffee maker, but Leonie hadn’t had time to argue that day. 

Leonie squints as she draws near; the stand looks different. It takes her a moment to realize it’s because there’s a set of syrup pumps balanced precariously on top of the espresso machine. The barista looks up as Leonie approaches. “What can I-- Leonie?”

She blinks. “Felix? You work here?” It’s definitely Felix, in a dumb black apron over a hoodie, tending to the world’s smallest espresso machine. 

“No, I’m just standing here for no reason,” Felix says, deadpan. “What do you want?” 

Leonie glances at the syrup pumps. “Can you make me a caramel mocha? With, uh, three extra shots?” Felix raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t ask; she must look worse than she thought. He sets to work, pulling out a cup and putting exactly one pump each of chocolate and caramel in it. “Hey, since when do you have syrup here? The other guy was kind of a dick about it.”

“Of course he was,” Felix says while he stirs. “Always going on about aromas and subtle flavors and shit.” He steps out from behind the espresso machine with two cups and sets one down on the counter between them. “That’s for you. I actually put syrup in it, you’re welcome.”

Leonie takes a cautious sip. It’s not bad; she’s pretty sure she would have used more syrup if she’d been the one to make the drink, but she’s not the barista in this situation. “Thanks!”

Felix nearly slams the other cup down. “This is for Sylvain.” He’s glaring at the hallway behind Leonie while he says it. “You have a class with him, right?”

“Yeah.” Leonie takes the other cup. “Want me to tell him anything?”

Felix doesn’t meet her eyes. “No, just give it to him.” There’s a beat, and then: “Please.”

“You got it!” Leonie says, grinning despite her exhaustion. 

Upstairs, she slips into class three minutes before the bell and finds Sylvain easily: he’s sitting in the back, looking far too awake for how Leonie feels right now. She drops into the seat next to him and slides him his coffee. “That’s from Felix,” Leonie says, then takes a long sip of her own drink. 

Sylvain blinks down at the cup for a second. “Oh right, he was covering someone else today. Well, this is sweet of him.” He tastes the coffee. “Not literally, of course.”

“I don’t know what sugar ever did to him,” Leonie grumbles.

“I know, right?” Sylvain doesn’t get the chance to elaborate, though, as the bell rings and class begins.

* * *

Leonie’s got a few hours before work, and the apartment she shares with Raphael, Ignatz, and Maya is half an hour away, so she sets up her laptop in a quiet corner of the Rangeld’s dining room and stares, confounded, at the essay questions Byleth had emailed out. _What is your interpretation of Goneril and Regan? Were they evil, conniving witches, ambitious women doing whatever they could to get ahead in a male-dominated world, or somewhere in between? Support your answer with at least three references from the play._ This shouldn’t be a hard question, but… she can’t focus. Every little noise or shift in the light draws her attention away from the screen. It’s frustrating. She should be able to do this, no problem, but every word she writes is like pulling teeth.

A new song comes on over the restaurant’s tinny speaker system. _“Weary wanderer… when your limbs can carry you no longer…”_ Leonie shuts it out. She’s got work to do.

She’s made it most of the way through her introduction when Maya sits down next to her. “Hi Leo! Do you work today?”

“Yeah, I start at five. I was trying to get some homework done.”

“Oh, I’m off at five! I’m on break right now.” Maya chatters on about her shift, and her classes, and the kittens outside. Leonie types up most of a sentence before she completely gives up on getting any work done and closes her laptop.

“Excuse me,” comes from behind them. “I’m looking for someone, about this tall, long hair, really likes kittens?”

Leonie turns. “Hi, Sylvain. Are you looking for Felix?”

“He’s probably outside,” Maya adds.

Sylvain frowns. “I checked outside. Maybe he went to the gym without me?” He checks his phone. “He didn’t text me, though…”

“Sit down,” Leonie says. “Text him where you are. I’m sure he didn’t go far.”

Sylvain sidles closer to the table, but doesn’t sit. “I don’t want him to think… nevermind.”

“Hey, you go to the gym, right? Do you know my brother?” Maya asks. 

“Uh… what’s his name?” He glances from side to side, clearly wondering if Maya's brother is nearby.

“Raphael! He’s the strongest guy around!”

“Oh, you must be Maya! Yeah, Raphael’s scary strong." Sylvain leans in a little. "Did you know he almost broke my arm once?”

Maya’s eyes widen. “On purpose?”

“Oh, no, not at all. We were arm-wrestling, and, uh, he won. A lot.” 

Maya’s grin turns a shade predatory. “Do you think you could beat me?”

Sylvain’s stunned into silence. “Well, Sylvain? Could you?” Leonie adds.

Sylvain collects himself and plops down into the seat across from Maya. “Let it never be said,” he says with a wide flourish of his arms, “that I turned down a challenge.” 

Maya shrugs off her jacket and clears a space on the table, grinning. “Leo, count us down!”

Leonie finds herself smiling too. Sylvain has no idea what he’s in for. “You’ve got it. Ready?”

Sylvain grasps Maya’s hand. “Ready.”

“Me too!” Maya’s grinning wider now. It almost drives Leonie to pity Sylvain. Almost. He’ll be fine.

“Okay, on the word go: Three, two, one, go!” 

Maya’s merciful enough not to slam Sylvain’s arm into the table, but not by much. “You weren’t even trying!”

“I… uh… wow. You’re really strong.” He makes a show of rubbing his arm, but Leonie can tell he's not seriously hurt.

Behind Leonie, someone snorts. “Of course she is. You’re Raphael’s sister, right?” She turns to find Felix with a tray of food in his hands, which he shoves at Sylvain. “Move over. It’s my turn.”

* * *

It’s an hour before closing time at Rangeld’s, and finally the rush has died down and there’s time to get the restaurant clean for the next time. There’s some rustling in the bushes across from Leonie’s window, and it takes her a moment to recognize Felix in the dark, with his hood up. _That’s strange. Doesn’t he have to get up early?_ “Felix!” she calls out. “Any luck?”

He comes up to the window. “Not tonight. I don’t think they’re there right now.”

“Well, then why are you here?” A pause. _Was that rude?_ “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Felix glares at the pavement. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He turns away, peering back into the bushes. “Don’t worry about me.”

Leonie does not sigh. Felix wouldn’t appreciate it. “Felix, we’re going to close soon. It’s not safe for you to be out there.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Well, my boss won’t let us leave until you do.” 

“Oh. Then I’ll leave. Doesn’t really matter where I go, right?”

“You should go home?” If he wanted to go home, he wouldn't still be here, but Leonie has to try, at least.

“Fuck no.”

“Okay, want to come to my place, then? I think I could clear the couch off for you.” Leonie fishes in her pockets for her keys. “Here,” she says, holding them out the window. “Go sit in my car, and I’ll tell Shamir what’s going on so she doesn’t get worried. I’ve still got about an hour left, so, I don’t know, take a nap or something? But I’ll be out as soon as I can.”

“...Thanks,” Felix says, before taking the keys and walking away with them.

“Is that the kid who’s trying to catch our kittens?” Shamir asks once he’s gone.

“Yeah. But he wouldn’t like being called a kid, I bet.”

The rest of the shift passes quietly, punctuated by the occasional carload of obnoxiously loud students, all demanding at least ten of the cheapest burger Rangeld’s sells. Eventually, it’s over and Leonie plods out to her car. Felix is sitting in her passenger seat, staring down at his phone like it personally murdered his family. He jumps when Leonie lets herself in. “Here,” he says, holding out the keys.

Leonie takes them. “Sure you don’t want to go home?”

“I’m _not_ going home.”

“Okay, okay, just checking.” Leonie starts driving to her home. “Did something happen?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Might help.”

Felix doesn’t dignify that one with an answer, and Leonie lets it drop. His life really isn’t her business, even if she’s letting him sleep on her (technically Ignatz’s) couch. They drive in silence for awhile, and then Felix says, “Sylvain’s a fucking idiot.”

“Yeah?” Leonie prompts.

“Ugh…" Felix screws his eyes shut. "I shouldn’t talk about this. It’s _his_ problem.”

“You’re the one who’s about to sleep on my couch.” 

“It’s still his problem. And his asshole parents. I keep telling him to block them, but… fuck. I wasn’t going to talk about it.”

“I won’t say anything, if that makes you feel better.”

“It doesn’t.”

Time to try something different. “Okay, don’t tell me anything about Sylvain. Why are _you_ mad?”

Felix takes a long time to collect his thoughts. “I told you, I don’t want to talk about it.” Another long pause. “We got in a fight and I left to clear my head. It’ll all be fine tomorrow.”

“If you say so.” There’s more going on than that, but pressing him won’t help.

The rest of the drive passes in silence, and soon Leonie parks on the street outside her apartment complex. From there, it’s only a few steps to her door. “Everyone’s probably asleep by now,” she tells Felix. He nods, and she lets them both inside.

Felix peers around the apartment in the greenish light of the blinking microwave clock (paused at 0:02) as Leonie finds new homes for all the stuff piled on the couch. He lies down on the couch the moment it’s clear, and Leonie drops a spare blanket in his lap. “Sorry if I missed anything between the cushions or something.”

“I don’t think you did.” Leonie turns to walk away. “And, uh… thanks.”

“Anytime. I hope you figure things out with Sylvain soon.” She turns out the light.

* * *

Leonie is very nearly late to class, _again._ She slides into her seat mere seconds before the bell rings. Byleth starts the class with her usual efficiency, and as usual Lorenz has a lot to say about Macbeth. Leonie’s eyes drift shut, just for a second. 

Someone shakes her shoulder. Huh. When did her head end up on the desk? “Wake up,” Sylvain’s saying. “I’d let you sleep more, but the next class wants their room.”

Leonie bolts up. “I fell asleep? Oh no, Byleth must be so mad at me…” _How could I fall asleep in class? I never do that._

“Byleth says it’s okay, and you should make sure to get more rest at night. Look, do you want a ride home?”

“I have another class, in a couple hours. I can’t go home right now.” She can't even nap in between, she realizes; she's behind on the reading.

“Skip it.”

“What.”

Sylvain switches tactics. “What class is it? Maybe I could help.”

“Why are you… never mind. It’s History 301, with Professor Cichol.”

“Felix took that class last year! I bet he still has his notes, lemme ask.” Sylvain pulls out his phone and starts texting.

Leonie crosses her arms. “Even if he does, I’m not skipping.”

“Leonie, have you looked in a mirror today? I’m sorry to say this, but you don’t look great. I mean, you’re still stunningly beautiful, of course, but in a very tired way. You really should take a break.”

Leonie catches a glimpse of her reflection in a window. Unfortunately, Sylvain’s right: she looks awful. “Okay. I’ll go home and take a nap, or something.”

Sylvain blinks; apparently he’d expected more resistance. “Come on, my car’s parked a few blocks over.” He slows his steps to let Leonie’s tired feet keep up with him as they walk over to the car and get in.

The radio starts up as soon as Sylvain starts the car. _“--but I’m different, R-I-V to you but I’m different, if an--”_

Sylvain shuts the radio off. “Ugh. I hate that guy.” In the passenger seat, Leonie slumps down. “Any radio requests?”

“You’re driving,” Leonie points out.

“And you’re the guest.”

Leonie shrugs. “I’m not picky.”

Sylvain leaves the radio off as he starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. “So, what have you been up to?”

“Nothing much. Work’s been busy, I guess. I picked up some extra shifts this week; they needed people and I needed the money.”

“You work a lot, huh?”

“I can handle it. Besides, any loans I can pay down now means I’ll have less to pay later! It’s good sense!”

Sylvain is silent for a long moment. “...Hey, you don’t have any terrifying older siblings? Or younger ones? It really doesn’t matter as long as they’re scary.”

“...No? Why?”

“Well… Don’t let on, but Felix doesn’t like, you know, relying on other people. Especially his dad. So he decided he was going to work full time and take classes, so that he wouldn’t need to take as much money from his family. It was… rough. I’m pretty sure he didn’t get a decent night’s sleep until I called his brother.”

“And his brother’s scary?”

“Oh, he’d like _you._ But yes. Very.” Sylvain gives a theatrical little shudder; it's probably just for effect, Leonie decides. Probably.

“And you think I’m doing the same thing?”

“Yeah, but you’ll listen to me.”

Leonie deflects. “I’m pretty sure Felix listens to you.”

“Only when he wants to. I tried to tell him our landlord didn’t allow cats and I might as well have been, I don’t know, speaking Klingon at him or something. I don’t know what I’m going to do if he actually catches those kittens.”

“Get a litterbox?”

Sylvain laughs. “We already have a litter box. And food, and toys, and honestly I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten one of those cat trees yet. I’ll figure it out. Wasn’t expecting to get the deposit back anyway.” He pulls off the highway, following his gps. “So, no brothers or sisters, huh?”

“Nope.” Leonie stifles a yawn; she’s slept enough, honestly. 

“I could just call Glenn. He might actually do it.”

“Do what?”

“Convince you to slow down a little. Take a rest sometimes. Every time I see you, you’re working. Always working. You can’t live like that.” Sylvain pauses. “Actually, no, Glenn wouldn’t do it. He doesn’t know anything embarrassing about you. Or, uh, know you at all.”

“I think you’re overreacting. You can’t tell me you’ve never fallen asleep in class before.”

“Oh, I have. But I’m the kind of person people expect to sleep through class. You’re not.” Sylvain takes a moment to consider his next words. “Look, you put your best into everything you do, right? I can tell.”

“Yeah? Look, it’s fine. I’m fine. I’m not exactly having the greatest week, but I’ll get through it.” 

“You could do better than just getting through it, you know.” Sylvain pulls into the parking lot of Leonie’s apartment complex. “Hey, mind if I use your bathroom before I go?”

“Uh, sure, if you don’t mind a bit of a mess.” Leonie leads him up to the apartment and lets them in, deftly stepping around a fallen jacket in the entryway. “Bathroom’s on the left.”

She turns; Sylvain is frozen on the threshold, taking in the sight of the living room before him. And, well, it’s a bit cluttered, sure. And, sure, there’s a half finished painting on an easel right in front of the TV. It’s fine. No one watches TV on the TV anyway. Well, the pizza boxes from last night might be a bit on the messy side, but it’s only two pizza boxes! Raphael eats a lot! So does Maya! It’s not that bad. Right? 

Sylvain catches Leonie looking at him, flushes, and disappears into the bathroom. Leonie busies herself straightening up the living room; she didn’t make this mess, but it’s here and she can’t leave it alone now. Sylvain comes out of the bathroom while she’s breaking down the pizza boxes in the kitchenette. “Hey, uh, I’ll make sure Felix sends you his notes. Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” 

“I won’t. Thanks for the ride.” Leonie manages a smile. 

Later that afternoon, Leonie wakes up to her phone buzzing with texts.

> _Felix: not sure where you’re at with that class so here’s all i’ve got_
> 
> _Felix: you’ll be fine, that shit’s easy_
> 
> _Leonie: thanks! I really appreciate it_
> 
> _Felix: don’t mention it._

She opens the first picture, and… well. Most of the handwriting is readable. It’s okay. She can work with this. 

She’s twenty minutes into making a clean copy (it’s hard to study off a phone screen, okay?) when she cracks and texts Felix.

> _Leonie: hey felix? what does this say? [img attached]_

No answer. _Well, not everyone pays attention to their phone all the time._ There’s one other person who could make sense of Felix’s handwriting, though, and Leonie’s got studying to do if she’s going to make up for that missed lecture.

> _Leonie: sylvain do you have a second?_
> 
> _Sylvain: for you, i have decades_
> 
> _Leonie: can you please tell me what this says? [img attached]_
> 
> _Sylvain: i can try_
> 
> _Sylvain: he didn’t even turn the other light on lol_
> 
> _Sylvain: i think it says "check if kittens can wear flea collars." -_-  
> _
> 
> _Leonie: haha, thanks!_
> 
> _Sylvain: anytime! make sure you get some rest_
> 
> _Sylvain: wow i sound like mercie_
> 
> _Leonie: i will_

_Eventually,_ she amends privately. There’s still tonight’s closing shift to get through, but then, blessedly, four days in a row off work. Plenty of time to get caught up on homework, straighten up the apartment, do all her laundry… she might even squeeze in some gym time. It’s been too long.

* * *

It’s another busy night at Rangeld’s. Catherine narrows her eyes when Leonie comes in, but doesn’t waste any time putting her to work. Leonie takes up her usual spot by the window, and soon enough, Felix shows up outside. This time, however, it's different. Dangling from one hand is a stuffed fish on a string, and as he shoots a glare across the drive-thru, it’s all Leonie can do to keep a straight face. 

The kittens disappear off into the woods at Felix’s approach, but this time he doesn’t chase them. Between cars, Leonie catches glimpses of him playing around with the fish. _Is he… trying to play with them?_

“Oh, that’s smart,” Catherine says from behind Leonie. “Let me know if it works, okay?”

“Yeah,” Leonie replies.

It takes hours, but first one kitten is brave enough to poke its nose out of the bushes, and then the other. They sniff the fish, and then one tackles it, and slowly Felix draws them in. The dinner rush is long gone by the time one of the kittens crawls into his lap, and he gently scoops the other up with his free hand. He sits there for a moment, just holding the kittens. 

Leonie quietly calls Catherine over. “Don’t scare the kittens, but the toy worked!”

Catherine pokes her head out the window and yells, “Hey kid! Need a box?” She doesn’t bother waiting for an answer. “Leonie! Get a box from the back and go help him out. And don’t come back tonight, you hear me?”

Leonie blinks. “What? I’m closing tonight.”

“You’ve closed the last six nights in a row. Take a break! You deserve it. Go help your friend out.” Leonie recognizes this mood. It’s the same one that comes on once a month or so, when Catherine decides the whole restaurant needs to be deep-cleaned top to bottom and nothing and no one can sway her. 

“Okay. Thank you!” Leonie clocks out, grabs a box out of the recycling, and meets Felix outside. He hasn’t moved since she saw him last. “Did you walk here?”

“Yeah. It’s not that far,” he says, putting the kittens in the box, along with the fish. 

“Do you want a ride?”

Felix shrugs. “I shouldn’t keep them in the box for too long, so sure.”

Leonie leads him to her car. “So, have you named them yet?”

“Didn’t want to name them until I caught them. I’ll figure something out.” After a moment, he adds, “Sylvain’s not allowed to help.”

“Aw. Poor Sylvain.”

“He’ll live.” A plaintive mewl escapes from the box on Felix’s lap and he opens the top a little. 

“Are they okay?” Leonie asks.

Felix peers inside. “Yeah. I think they like the fish.” 

“That was a good idea, by the way. Catherine was impressed.”

“Oh. Uh. That… wasn’t actually my idea. My, uh, coworker gave it to me.”

“Your coworker?”

“Okay, fine, my friend. Her name’s Flayn. She works at the coffee stand sometimes.”

“Oh, the one with the green hair?” Leonie remembers Flayn. She’d been incredibly apologetic when she’d burned Leonie’s latte-- so apologetic, in fact, that she’d knocked over an open bag of espresso beans, scattering them all over the floor. Sometimes she still spots a stray bean in a corner.

“Yeah, her. She’s a good friend. Got really excited when I told her about my swords.”

Leonie grins. Of course. Of course Felix has a sword collection. It makes perfect sense. “You have swords?”

Felix looks away. “...Yes.” Then he peeks into the box again, and whatever the kittens are doing in there is apparently far more interesting than carrying on a conversation. Honestly, Leonie can’t blame him. The kittens are very, very cute.

Felix and Sylvain’s apartment complex looks more run down than Leonie’s, but it’s only about a ten minute walk away from campus. Felix leads her around the back, to an unobtrusive door. “There’s no camera on this door,” he says.

Leonie blinks. “That matters?” Are there cameras at her complex? She can’t remember.

“So we don’t get caught,” Felix explains. “There’s no elevator on this side, though. Sorry.”

“I can handle a few stairs.”

The apartment’s on the fourth floor. Felix kicks the door instead of knocking; a scuff in the paint suggests he does this on a regular basis.

Sylvain opens up. “Felix, you have hands, you don’t have to-- what is _that?_ ” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “ _Felix._ ” 

Felix pushes past Sylvain with the box, saying nothing. _Well. This is awkward._ “Um, hi,” Leonie says. _Should I go? I should probably go._

“Hey, Leonie. Come on in,” Sylvain says, turning to follow Felix.

Leonie follows him into the living room. The TV is paused in the middle of a movie she doesn’t recognize, and there’s a laptop sitting open on some kind of assignment. Off in the corner is a half-assembled cat tree. Felix is lying on the floor in front of the couch, peering underneath it. He turns enough to glare at them. “Stay off the couch.” There aren’t any swords to be seen.

“Okay, okay.” Sylvain pulls up two chairs from the dining table instead. “So, Leonie, I take it you’re an accomplice to… this?”

“Yeah, I gave him a ride home. Technically my manager gave him the box.”

“Your manager?” Sylvain finally notices Leonie’s uniform. “Oh, do you have to go back to work? Don’t let us keep you.”

“No, she gave me the night off,” Leonie admits. It still feels like she’s doing something wrong, even though she knows she’s not.

“Good! Don’t get me wrong, you look absolutely stunning,” and he winks at her, “but you also look like you need a break.”

“I’m right here,” Felix calls from the floor.

“You’re violating the terms of our lease,” Sylvain shoots back.

“Fuck the lease.”

Sylvain pretends to think for a moment. “I guess I could cut a hole in it…”

 _“Sylvain,”_ Leonie and Felix say nearly in unison. "That sucked worse than usual. Knock it off," Felix continues.

“Right. I did promise, didn’t I?” Sylvain stands up. “Want a drink or anything? And, uh, assuming Felix ever lets us use the couch again, want to stay and watch a movie?”

She had homework to do, dishes to wash, an entire apartment to clean. “I don’t want to intrude--”

“You’re not! Promise.”

Leonie gives in. “Okay. What movie?”

“Something terrible.” Sylvain grins.

Felix sits up, triumphant, holding a kitten curled against his chest. “Got one!”

“Does this mean we can--”

“No.”

An hour or so later, after Leonie retrieves a non-work shirt from her car and Felix successfully extricates both kittens from under the couch and introduces them to the litter box and their food and water dishes, they settle down on the couch. Sylvain starts the movie, and Felix immediately groans. “You let him pick?”

“You’re naming the kittens. Sylvain can pick a movie,” Leonie says reasonably. She’s the guest here, anyway. It’s not her call.

“Fine,” Felix grumbles. Off in the distance, there’s a tiny mew. Felix lets his arm dangle off the side of the couch.

About halfway through the movie, Leonie’s drowsing off (the movie’s bad, but not bad enough to keep her awake) when Sylvain nudges her. Silently, he points at the floor, where one of the kittens is staring up at him, determined and ready to pounce. A moment later, it makes the leap up to Sylvain’s lap and starts sniffing his shirt. 

Felix looks absolutely betrayed. “What did you do?”

“...Nothing?” When that fails to move Felix, Sylvain tries, “Look, I wasn’t the weirdo who chased them every day.”

“...It wasn’t every day.”

“Just most of them.” Leonie isn’t helping. It’s great.

Felix huffs and turns away to watch the other kitten, who is currently exploring the box the cat tree came in. Sylvain throws an arm around him. “So, what are you naming them?”

Felix doesn’t say anything at first, then: “Haven’t really thought about it.”

“Felix, you were in my drive-thru for weeks,” Leonie says. “You never thought about it?”

“I had to catch them first,” Felix says, like this somehow makes sense. 

Leonie yawns. She’ll remember this… tomorrow. _Yeah. Tomorrow._

“Oh, wow, it's getting late.” Sylvain turns off the movie and carefully moves the kitten to Felix’s lap. “Let me find you some blankets, Leonie. Unless your roommates are getting worried?”

“I don’t think so?” Leonie sends Ignatz a quick text anyway; Raphael doesn’t check his phone very often and Maya should be asleep right now. (She probably isn’t, but Leonie’s not about to encourage that.)

It doesn’t take long at all for Sylvain to grab some spare blankets out of a closet and shoo Felix into (presumably) their bedroom. “G’night,” Leonie mumbles. She doesn’t stay awake long enough to hear Sylvain’s reply.

* * *

Something pricks Leonie’s cheek. She opens her eyes and there’s the white-chested kitten sitting on her chest, batting at her hair. Leonie waits for it to move, but nope, her chest is apparently the best place to sit. So she sits up instead, and the kitten retreats, tail held high in indignation.

“You’re finally up! Good morning!” Sylvain calls from the kitchen.

Leonie checks her phone and nearly falls off the couch. “You let me sleep until _ten AM?”_

“Felix wouldn’t let me wake you up.” Sylvain enters the living room, a coffeepot in his hand. “How much cream and sugar do you like?”

“Just a little bit.” A little bit to Sylvain is probably just right for Leonie; he seems to like sweet things more than most. “...No gummi worms.”

Sylvain laughs awkwardly. "I can't believe you remembered that."

"That shake was the worst thing I made this entire month! Of course I remember it."

"Sorry about that, by the way." Sylvain hands Leonie a cup of coffee, then lowers his voice. "I only did it to annoy Felix. Don't tell him, okay?"

"I already knew that." Felix is standing in the doorway, his hair down, the ghost of a smirk on his face. He glances in Leonie's direction. "I made him drink the whole damn thing."

Leonie grins. "So, Sylvain," she says, "how was it?"

Sylvain makes a face. "Awful-- ow!" He reaches down and picks up a kitten, patting its head. "I'm not a scratching post, you goofball," he tells it, depositing it on one of the lower branches of the cat tree. "Anyway, it was easily the worst milkshake I've ever had and yes, Felix, I know, I have only myself to blame for that."

"Just don't do it again," Felix says before he disappears back into the kitchen.

"Want to stay for breakfast?" Sylvain asks brightly. "I think Felix's making enough eggs for like, twelve people."

Leonie considers it. She's got chores to do and homework to catch up on... but that can all wait. "Sure, I can stay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> felix doesn't name the kittens for two weeks


	2. bonus: A Fish Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me in august: sure i can write 7000 words, it'll be easy!  
> me in january: i have never hit a wordcount goal in my goddamn life why did i not see this coming
> 
> anyway here have a bonus chapter with Flayn! she's great.

Flayn pulls a perfect shot of espresso, just like Felix taught her. (Hubert would have found something to correct, but Flayn has found he’s the sort of person who is never satisfied.) Then she takes the milk off the steamer, mixes it up with the espresso and _extra_ white chocolate syrup, and ta-da! A perfect white chocolate mocha, exactly as ordered! Flayn’s so proud-- wait, she’s not done! She grabs a can of whipped cream out of the mini fridge (without incident, thank you very much) and tops off the cup. There. Now it’s done. She puts a lid on top and hands it to Hilda.

“Isn’t that supposed to… stop?” Hilda asks, pointing at the steamer wand with her cup. It’s still steaming. 

“Oh dear.” Flayn flips the steamer switch off, and… nothing. Oh no. She broke it. Hubert is going to be so angry! “Would you excuse me?” she asks Hilda, who just waves and sets off for class.

There’s only one thing to be done. She flips open her phone and calls Felix. 

“What broke this time?” Felix asks. He doesn’t even say hello! How rude! Flayn explains her problem, and Felix is silent for a moment. “Did you try turning it off and back on again?”

“I promised Hubert I would touch nothing I didn’t absolutely need to,” Flayn replies, with dignity.

“I already told you not to listen to-- fine. Fine! I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Keep the floor dry if you can.” He hangs up.

Exactly twelve minutes later, Felix walks up to the stand. Without even circling around to the back of the stand, he shoves aside a bag of espresso beans and hits a switch on the espresso machine Flayn hadn’t even known about. The steamer finally stops hissing. “There. Turn it back on in a few minutes, and then it’ll take ten, fifteen minutes to heat back up.”

Flayn beams. “Thank you so much, Felix! I am so truly sorry to drag you here on your day off.”

Felix mumbles “It’s fine,” and turns to leave.

“Wait!” Flayn darts out from behind the stand. “What if it does not work?”

“It’ll work,” Felix says.

“Please, stay? I will make you a drink!”

“...Fine.” He sits down, right on the floor next to the stand; does he not know how many people walk through this hall every day? Flayn stays on her feet.

“So! Felix! What have you been up to?” Flayn asks. If he does not wish to initiate a conversation, that is just fine! Flayn can ask all the questions.

“I haven’t been up to anything,” he says, far too quickly.

Felix is clearly up to something. “Do not lie to me, Felix! I _will_ know what you have been doing.”

Felix stays defiantly silent. So stubborn, this boy. Flayn just waits; he will speak, sooner or later. “You know Rangeld’s? The burger place?”

“Yes, my father and I visit sometimes. They are very economical,” Flayn replies. “Did you get a job there?”

“What? No, why would I work there?” He stops, but Flayn refuses to allow distraction. “...There’s some kittens living outside there, and I thought I could… catch them.”

Flayn claps her hands. “Marvelous! Felix, I knew you had a good heart!”

“Don’t tell anyone,” he mutters at her, his face red.

“My lips are sealed!” Flayn proclaims. “But you simply must keep me updated, you hear?”

* * *

Felix does not keep her updated. Flayn wishes this were a surprise. She will simply have to find him and extract her updates in person! She has perused the schedule three times; Felix is definitely working today. And while he’s working, he cannot escape her. It is the perfect plan!

She waits for his current customer (Leonie, she thinks her name is) to leave, carrying two cups. She lets him think he’s safe, wiping down the countertop, before she approaches. “Good morning, Felix!”

“You don’t work today,” he says, suspiciously.

“Do I need to work to visit with my good friend?” Flayn asks. 

Felix, very unsubtly, checks the time on his phone. As Flayn well knows, the stand is to remain open for another four hours. There is no escape from her company. “No, I guess not,” he says. “Why are you here?”

Flayn smiles innocently. “I was merely wondering how the kittens were doing.”

“They’re fine. I guess.” Felix looks away.

“You guess? You do not know?” Flayn frowns at him. Surely he would have caught them by now. Unless… no, no, Felix would never have taken them to a shelter. He was kind, and caring, and he definitely would have taken them into his own home.

“They keep running away,” he says. This clarifies nothing.

“Felix, are you telling me you have not caught them yet?” Felix says nothing, but she can see it in his face. “Preposterous. You cannot allow yourself to be defeated by kittens, of all things!”

“I’m still trying!” Felix lowers his voice. “It’s just taking longer than I thought. They run off into the woods every time I chase them.”

“Have you tried other tactics? Perhaps they see the chasing as a fun game,” Flayn says.

“...No.” The countertop must be quite interesting, for Felix to be staring at it so intently. “People feed them all the time, so food doesn’t work.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see someone approaching. “Well, you are a talented young man, so I am sure you will come up with something. Enjoy the rest of your day, and good luck!”

* * *

Flayn stops by the pet store later that week. Her father would not allow pets at home, but she does so like to visit the fish. This time, she lingers in the toy section, and… there! Perfect! She snatches up a tiny stuffed green fish and checks it over. No string, but she can fix that. No catnip pocket, but she feels Felix would not want that, anyway. He would most likely consider it dishonorable, even if he would never phrase it that way.

She buys the toy, ties a bit of fishing line from her tackle box to it, and sets off in search of Felix. He should be working today, but unfortunately she had only checked the schedule once. 

She makes it to the espresso stand without incident, and-- oh, dear. Is that Lorenz, arguing with… Hubert? Why is Hubert here? Flayn edges closer, not wishing to intrude immediately.

“I’ll have you know, I ordered a caramel macchiato, with almond milk and whip, and that is not in any way the drink you handed me! I demand you correct this error immediately! If you do not I will contact your superior!” Lorenz is, honestly, far too angry about this, in Flayn’s opinion. She’s sure Hubert made him a perfectly serviceable drink, even if it isn’t quite what he ordered. Hubert can be odd like that.

“And as I have explained to you, repeatedly, the caramel would obscure the more bitter notes of the espresso, and that is something I simply cannot condone. You should learn to enjoy espresso properly or not drink it at all.” Hubert pauses for a moment. “Also, my superior wouldn’t give you the time of day, and I will _not_ allow you to disturb them.”

Lorenz splutters. “This is the worst customer service I’ve ever received! I shall be lodging a complaint with corporate!” He turns and walks away stiffly, leaving his cup behind.

Flayn lets him go. “Hello, Hubert. Do we have a corporate?”

“No, we do not.” Hubert massages his forehead. “What are you doing here?”

“I merely wished to say hello!” Under Hubert’s withering stare, she also admits, “And I was looking for Felix. I have something for him.”

“Hmph. He isn’t here. And don’t ask me where he is; I am _not_ his keeper.” Hubert hands Flayn the cup that Lorenz abandoned. “Take this. I despise waste.”

* * *

The next day, Felix is definitely, definitely working. Flayn waits for a quiet time to drop by, the stuffed fish safely ensconced in her pocket. “Good morning, Felix. Any luck with the kittens?”

“No,” he says. There are dark circles under his eyes; has he been sleeping enough? Flayn decides to investigate later. 

“I have something for you. You may find it helpful,” she says, holding out the fish.

Felix takes it and starts unwinding the fishing line. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

Does she have to spell everything out? “Go play with the kittens! Show them that you can be fun! Then they will come to you!”

“I’m not fun,” Felix protests.

“You are too!” Flayn stomps her foot, for emphasis. “You will play with the kittens, and take them home, and show me pictures of them on your phone! I know you are more than capable of this.”

“They’ll laugh at me.” Felix pockets the fish anyway.

“Let them! You will be the one laughing when you have new kitten friends and they do not.”

“Flayn, that… never mind." It takes a moment, but Felix does remember his manners. "...Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flayn demands a new kitten picture every time she sees felix and he always has one


End file.
